Miles the Fussy Engine
by bbll22
Summary: *CHAPTER 3 NOW UP* Miles has come to the Island of Sodor temporarily while other engines are at the works. He is extremely fussy and thinks he knows best. Over these stories, will the Fat Controller send him home or is he here to stay?
1. Fussy, Fussy Miles

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Fussy, Fussy Miles**

A new engine had arrived on the Island of Sodor. His name is Miles and he had come to the island to help out the Fat Controller during a mini-crisis. Several engines were at the works and help was needed. The Fat Controller has considered bringing back Class 40, the diesel that'd swallowed an inspector's hat, but he soon thought otherwise. Miles was a blue pannier tank engine and his current controller had warned Sir Topham Hatt that Miles does have fussy tendencies. He chooses his jobs rather than people picking them for him. The Fat Controller rather hoped this wasn't the case as Miles soon arrived at some sidings for his first task of the day. A signalman was waiting for him as was Gordon.  
"Hello" said Gordon "You must be Miles"  
"Indeed I am" replied Miles. "I've heard about you. You're very pompous." Gordon didn't seem very pleased at all and was about to retort angrily at Miles but the signalman soon interrupted.  
"Miles. Stop arguing please." he said exasperatedly. "Just take these old carriages to the menders."  
"Why can't big old blue do it?" Miles asked. Gordon was feeling angrier and angrier with Miles already and he'd barely even met him.  
"Just do as you're told. Gordon's about to leave for the Express." the signalman reiterated. Miles gave up arguing and looked at the carriages. They were old, dirty, dank and disgusting. Miles didn't want to do this job at all. The thought of doing it sent shivers down to his footplate. It was not a good feeling at all. He had to let the signalman and Gordon know.  
"No!" he said abruptly "No, No, No, No! I will not do this job! Goodbye and good riddance!" he added. Miles then steamed off into the distance to find another job, one that he'd actually like. Gordon and the signalman were left in shock.  
"What cheek!" Gordon huffed. "No engine decides what work they do! Not even me!" he added as he was left to take the old carriages in a hurry before he set off for the Express.

Miles felt great after ignoring his first Sodor duty. It was so freeing to do as he felt and he knew that this could definitely happen again. Soon, he sped along into the fuel depot where Mavis struggling some troublesome tankers.  
"Mavis, Mavis, she flips and flops about so much she might aswell be a fish!" they sang with wide grins.  
"That's terrible even by your standards." Mavis retorted to the tankers. She then saw Miles and wondered if he could help. "Excuse me" Mavis said politely. "Could you help me with these tankers? They are a right pain." Miles then looked at the tankers. At first, they looked clean and he was happy to help. Then he saw men filling tankers in the distance and fuel spilled over the edge of the fillers and congealed quickly. Miles soon changed his mind. He didn't want to spoil his dark blue paint and instantly knew he didn't want to do the job. So he let Mavis know.  
"No!" he said "No, No, No, No! I will not help you with this job!" he added. Miles then steamed off once again to find another job, one he'd like. This left Mavis to deal with the troublesome tankers all on her own.  
"Mavis, Mavis, she flips and flops about so much she might aswell be a fish!" they sang once more as Mavis sighed loudly.

The Fat Controller was meanwhile in his office reading a recently found book from his childhood.  
"Lovely memories…" he murmured to himself. The nostalgia was soon cut short though as he received phone calls from the signalman and then the fuel depot manager. They were both very unimpressed with Miles. "Hmm…" pondered the Fat Controller. "We'll have to keep an eye on him. If he isn't going to work, he won't be here for long on Sodor." The message was soon spread as far and wide and possible and everyone was on a close watch of Miles. He had taken some cleaner carriages out and about for a short while but this was the only due he'd been assigned that he'd actually completed. All the others were far too bothersome. They'd either ruin his reputation or damage his paint and he didn't want that.  
"I do as I please." Miles said to himself. "The work I do is the work I choose." Soon, Miles was steaming through Henry's Forest. He knew any work around here wouldn't be of any use for him, but he just wanted to be away from the hustle and bustle of the work he didn't want to do. As he steamed on, Miles saw Oliver the great western engine pulling Rocky along. Storms of late had caused a few trees to fall and Rocky was clearing the way. Oliver soon saw Miles coming along, and with prior warning of Miles possibly steaming through, he just wanted to play a trick on him.  
"Any chance for a bit of assistance?" asked Oliver kindly.  
"We just need someone else to help take away these fallen trees…" Rocky added. Miles looked on disdainfully at the work they were doing, and instantly thought about the damage that could be done to his paint. So now he instantly knew he didn't want to do the job. He had to let Oliver and Rocky know.  
"No! No, No, No, No! I will not do this job!" he said firmly once again. He then sped off faster than he had before. Oliver and Rocky weren't surprised at this, but they were when they heard a crash behind them.  
"What was that?" wondered Oliver  
"No idea" replied Rocky. "Hang on; one of those workers is pointing behind us. Something has happened" he added. The pair of them then noticed a blue car pass them very quickly. Oliver realised it was the Fat Controller's car, so he knew it was something to do with Miles.  
"I think he's in trouble…" Oliver remarked as he then reversed down the line to find that Miles had de-railed. He'd gone too quick around a bend and come off the rails as result. Something was definitely broken. Miles didn't look too happy. Neither did the Fat Controller as he got out of his car. The door slammed shut with a loud bang and the Fat Controller had a very stern face. He was here to tell off Miles...

"Miles!" he boomed "You have caused confusion and delay. You have been asked to jobs and you refuse to do them without just cause. This is bad" he added.  
"I'm sorry Sir" replied Miles pathetically. "I will try to do more work in future Sir" he added. The Fat Controller looked unconvinced.  
"I'm glad to hear" he then said. "However, you need to have a severe look at yourself and the lack of effort you do." Oliver and Rocky were looking on at Miles. He looked very sad, but they wanted to help.  
"Sir" asked Rocky. "Do you want me to put Miles back on the line?"  
"Ofcourse" replied the Fat Controller "Oliver, can you please bring a flatbed. Miles will need fixing. I doubt the menders will even know who he is!" he added.  
"I'll fetch it right away, Sir" said Oliver as he went off to fetch the flatbed for the derailed fussy engine.

In no time, Rocky was lowering Miles onto the flatbed. Miles was happy to be back on the line and for the first time on Sodor, he smiled. Oliver then coupled up to the flatbed and steamed off to the menders with Miles still looking somewhat sorry for himself. The Fat Controller still didn't look happy as he saw them go but he knew Miles did look very sorry. However, Miles was thinking through what he'd said earlier.  
"Me not fussy?" he thought "Never!" he added with a wide smile. The thought to keep on being fussy was to remain as he made his way to the menders. He's not likely to change his ways, is he?


	2. Miles, George and the Roadworks

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Miles, George and The Roadworks**

Miles the fussy engine had been repaired after his very interesting first day on Sodor and was settling back into work once more. However, he still felt that he shouldn't be doing any work that involved him getting dirty, but the Fat Controller didn't agree. Miles felt ever so frustrated with the Fat Controller, but he knew he had to be a really useful engine.  
"Messy, messy work..." he grumbled. "What can't someone else do it?"  
"These are your duties?" answered his driver. "You have to do them Miles, you can't avoid dirty work..."  
"Yes I can..." muttered Miles to himself. "Messy, messy work. Messy, messy work. How I hate it, how I hate it..." he then sang to himself as he coupled upto some dirty, horrid, old carriages. In their prime, they would have looked so wonderful, but time had ravaged their paint and they were now redundant. They were to be sent to the Scrapyards, but Miles just didn't want to go there.  
"Miles!" shouted his driver. "You are taking these carriages!"  
"I am not!" retorted Miles. His driver had lost patience by now and was furious with him, as was his fireman. They soon went to see a nearby signalman to see if anyone else could take the carriages. For now, Miles was winning, and this made him very happy.

Miles was still smiling as his driver and fireman returned and expected them to say that he didn't have to take the carriages, but he was wrong.  
"Miles, we've got to take them..." commanded his driver.  
"Why?" questioned Miles.  
"Or else you'll be sent away..." replied his driver.  
"They could even send you to the Scrapyards..." added his fireman. This made Miles sudden;y see what he was doing wrong.  
"I don't want to be scrapped!" he protested to his driver and fireman.  
"Well do the work then..." replied his driver. Miles didn't reply, he just stayed silent and let his driver and fireman get aboard and set off with the carriages in tow. Miles may not have been happy, but his driver and fireman certainly were now. They chugged him along through the little villages and the bigger towns and was making extremely good time. Engines tooted at Miles as they passed, but Miles didn't toot back. The engines found this very rude, but as they knew it was Miles, they accepted it. Soon enough, Miles and the carriages came to a halt at a crossing. There, they saw George the Steamroller resurfacing the road. He looked as cross as ever, but no-one dared to make him happy in the slightest, not even his driver. Miles waited, and waited but he couldn't pass. There had been no warnings so Miles couldn't be blamed, nor could any of the vehicles waiting in the distance.  
"Oh hurry up!" called Elizabeth the Sentinal Lorry. "I'm delivering some important goods! I've got no other way to get there!"  
"You'll have to wait!" gruffed George. "The road has to be flat. No-one can cross it until its flat."  
"Well what do we do?" asked Miles' driver. "We need to pass here to get to the Scrapyards."  
"I suppose we can make an exception..." deliberated he Foreman in charge of the roadworks. He then open the crossing barriers and let Miles steam through slowly.  
"Oi! What about me?" questioned Elizabeth.  
"Just a few more minutes..." replied the Foreman. Elizabeth was angry, she went bright red in frustration, and her driver wasn't happy either, but soon enough George moved aside and let Elizabeth pass through.  
"Silly lorry..." muttered George.  
"Silly Steamroller..." muttered Elizabeth.

Meanwhile, Miles and the carriages had just arrived at the Scrapyards when they encountered the Scrapyard Manager.  
"Well done for bringing the carriages..." he said. "But I've just discovered that there were some spare, broken tenders in the same area that needed to be scrapped too. Can you fetch them aswell please?" he then asked.  
"Ofcourse we can..." replied Miles' driver, and soon they set off. They found a nearby turntable and were now facing the right direction once more and headed back to the collection area.  
"Do you think we can avoid the Roadworks this time?" pondered Miles' fireman.

"Hmmm...I'm not sure..." replied his driver. "I think we should just take the route we know..." Both of them agreed and carried on down the line. However they didn't know that the Concrete mixture was still wet and they'd be waiting for some time still, but there was something much worse than that. When the components for the resurfacing of the road were brought to the crossing, there was already some wet concrete mixture made, and as it was brought down the line, some of it dripped out of the trucks and onto the line itself. The Sun wasn't out much today, and that's why the road was taking an eternity to dry out, so the track would still be very slippy. No-one knew of the danger and that would become quite a serious issue.

Meanwhile, Miles was chugging along the line at a canter and was just taking in the beautiful surroundings that were before him. He even tooted back at engines when they tooted at him. His driver and fireman were very surprised with him.  
"Is he alright?" asked his driver jokingly. Him and Miles' fireman then laughed at the joke but ahead of them were the slippy rails and before they knew it, they'd encountered them.  
"Oh..." cried Miles. "What's wrong?" he then asked. His driver and fireman couldn't understand and were trying as hard as they could to stop Miles, but the slippy tracks were propelling him forwards. They were nearing the roadworks, and whisted as a sign of danger.  
"Everyone move!" called the Roadworks Foreman. Everyone soon did, and all that was left on the road were soon spades, the wet concrete and George.  
"Don't leave me!" he called, but no-one replied, and then as Miles neared, he understood why they'd left. "Oh dear..." he said simply as Miles careered into the crossing barriers and then came to a halt in the wet concrete. The sudden stop made his driver and fireman fall out of Miles' cabin and land in the concrete mixture too.  
"My wheels!" cried Miles. "They're sticky! They're horrible! Help!" George, the workmen and Miles' driver and fireman could only laugh at the situation as Miles was in a nightmare situation.  
"Grow up!" said George. "It's only wet concrete! It'll wash off...probably..." he added.  
"Probably is not good enough!" replied Miles who was hating every moment of it, but he'd have to wait even longer as the men couldn't get him out until the mixture was dry, and that would take a very long time.

Eventually, the mixture became dry and the men got our their drilling machine and got Miles free. He was ever so grateful and thanked them immensely. Miles then chugged away to be cleaned down and have the remnants of the concrete mixture washed away forever, but for George the Steamroller, it meant he had to resurface the road once more, and he wasn't pleased at all.  
"Silly, silly engine!" he moaned. "They are no use at all!" then he began to sing his usual song to pass away the time. "Railways are no good, turn them into roads! Railways are no good, turn them into roads!" and this carried on until the road was resurfaced once more.


	3. Headstrong

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Headstrong**

It was snowing on the Island of Sodor and Miles the fussy engine wasn't in the mood for work at all. He hated snow and ice and as he warmed up for the morning after having had his fire lit, he simply didn't want to work at all.  
"Come on boy," cajoled his driver. "Work means work from now on, you know that."  
"I don't want to though," said Miles miserably. "I hate this weather and I don't want to work at the coal plant at all."  
"Do you want us to get the Fat Controller out here again?" his fireman then asked. Miles immediately fell silent and came round to the idea of working. He and the Fat Controller had never got on well and he couldn't cope with another stern word from the man.  
"Let's go then..." Miles then said reluctantly as his crew got aboard. They were smiling and carried on grinning as Miles slowly steamed away.

Overnight rain had frozen into ice and getting round the island was a tricky problem. The roads were incredibly slippy and the rails were too. Miles hated anything wintry in the slightest. He'd rather have been in his shed until the spring.  
"Hibernation!" he exclaimed. "That's what good engines like me need. Working flat out from spring to autumn before resting through the harshes of winter is what should happen."  
"So what happens to passengers and freight during winter if there's no trains to take them?" asked his driver. Miles was stumped and didn't expect the question. He didn't answer it and just snootily ignored the conversation as if it had never happened. Soon, it wasn't long before Miles arrived at the coal plant. The manager told him he was going to be working with Billy, but Miles didn't know who he was.  
"He better listen to me..." Miles sniffed. "Things have to go my way..."  
"Do they now?" then came a voice from behind as a bright orange engine puffed up alongside Miles. "I'm not one for taking orders you see. We do the work as I please, and that's that."  
"Oh dear..." muttered Miles' fireman. "Two headstrong engines isn't going to go down too well at all. I can sense it." His fears were proved right as near enough from the moment work began, Miles and Billy clashed and argued.  
"Put the trucks over here. Not there." scoffed Miles.  
"I put the trucks where I want them. You're not in control here." countered Billy angrily. The engines crews were getting annoyed very easily and had given up trying to stop the bickering as it was only making it worse. Very little work was being done and the plant manager, who was looking on from his office, was getting deeply concerned. The cold weather meant many needed coal to keep themselves warm and the manager was the supplier through the winter. He wasn't sure demand would be kept though.  
"We won't meet our targets at this rate..." he thought glumly as he watched the never-ending bickering ensue.

The cold day was moving along very slowly but Billy and Miles' chilly relations weren't being thawed at all. They weren't getting along in the slightest and made up stories of the other's bad ways to tell the trucks as they did their work.  
"I heard he biffed an engine off the rails..." Billy said sneakily to his trucks.  
"Oh my!" they replied in shock.  
"Did you know the only reason Billy's orange is because it was a punishment..." Miles then told his trucks.  
"Punishment? What for?" they asked.  
"For causing an accident that led to an engine's scrapping." Miles answered sternly. "That's why he doesn't have many friends."  
"Ooh..." went the trucks as the day carried on. The bickering had stopped much to the relief of the pair's crews, but now they weren't even saying a word to each other. The only noises came from their pistons pumping and the trucks being biffed along the track. There was silence in the snow but the plant manager was still concerned. Work was slowly being caught up on but the earlier bickering meant the coal was building up a backlog for delivery. Elizabeth the sentinel lorry was left waiting and waiting for coal to deliver to stations and homes when a big amount all came at once. Billy and Miles were both trying to outdo each other as they steamed up to her.  
"Here you go!" chuffed Billy. "Coal - it's just what you want. The finest an engine could find."  
"I think you'll find mine is better, Elizabeth..." huffed Miles grandly.  
"Coal can't be grand..." she snooted. ""Its coal and you two have brought far too much all at once. I'm not a super sentinel lorry you know. I'm going to be delayed even more at this rate." she added exasperatedly. Billy wasn't pleased with Elizabeth's huffiest and attitude at all.  
"Suit yourself then..." he huffed as he steamed off angrily. Setting off into the distance, he was going too fast and the tracks around the plant were slippy. Billy didn't care though but the trucks did.  
"Stop!" they cried. "We're not wearing ice skates!"  
"Don't be so silly..." said Billy. "You're all over-reacting. Everything's fine. I'll stop if you want." he added as his driver applied the brakes but his wheels weren't stopping. They were slipping on the icy rails and Billy was sliding away. "Oh dear..." he gulped. As he slide, his driver and fireman fought hard to make the brakes work but they couldn't. Billy simply wouldn't stop and soon he was heading to a lone track at the plant. Its buffers were old and worn and when there, Billy smashed through them and ploughed straight into a snow-covered mound of coal. The trucks clattered loudly as they spilled onto their sides and coal dust and snow flew into the air.  
"We said stop, not go on..." complained the trucks as steam from Billy hissed everywhere.  
"I tried..." said Billy, "badly though..."

"He deserves it if you ask me." smiled Miles proudly as he looked on from a distance at the accident Billy had caused. The snow was falling heavier and heavier and it was getting harder for Miles to move along the tracks to do the work on his own, but he carried on regardless. The plant manager couldn't afford to be an engine down and sent for Harvey to come and get Billy, but he was stuck in snow elsewhere.  
"Well, what do I do?" the manager asked to himself. Looking out of his office window he could see Miles pacing along the tracks and knew it was his only option.  
"You want me to do what?" Miles asked incredulously when the manager spoke to him. "I'm not saving Billy."  
"You'll do as you're told..." said his driver. "Or do you want us to get the Fat Controller? He won't be pleased if he hears this for sure - an engine not helping another. It's unheard of."  
"Don't do that..." said Miles sheepishly. He didn't want another confrontation with the Fat Controller so he gave in. "I'll help him. I assure you." he added as he soon had a rope attached to his front. After clearing away the trucks with relative ease, Miles soon was at the back of Billy. Billy knew it was him coming to help and he felt bad. He'd had a lot of thinking to do while stuck in the coal and snow and he just felt awful.  
"I'm sorry," he said to Miles. "I just wanted to be in control. It's what I do, what I've always done." he added. Miles smiled appreciatively. He knew what it is like to be like Billy.  
"I'm the same too." he said in reply. "I've always been like I have. I can't alter it." He paused in thought and slowly began to realise how daft he had been through the day. "I guess I'm sorry too then." he then smiled. Billy was pleased the pair were on better terms but he was getting dreadfully cold in the fast-settling snow.  
"Do you mind helping me out then?" Billy then asked with a smile. "I'm freezing my buffers off here!"  
"Oh, I suppose not." grinned Miles as he slowly began to roll up to Billy. "I'd be asking the same if I was in your position." he added as his driver towed the rope to Billy's back coupling. With some hard-fought determination and continued pulling, Miles soon had Billy back on the line in no time at all. It was an exhausting effort but one that was worth it. Both Billy and Miles were covered in a mixture of coal dust and snow, but they didn't care. They were just thankful to be back to normality.  
"Thank you Miles..." Billy said happily.  
"It's no problem." smiled Miles. "We needed to meet the demand anyway, so it was either this or I'll be working through the night." he added with a laugh. "I certainly didn't want to be doing the latter!"  
"Come on boys, get on with the work…" the plant manager then said with a smile. Billy and Miles just smiled and laughed for the rest of the day as they completed the backlog with Elizabeth appreciating each new load.  
"You two do work well together when needed…" she remarked. "Headstrong, but both team workers…" she added.

When the duties were done and their work was complete, Billy and Miles said their goodbyes and slowly steamed off to their respective homes. The snow and ice wasn't so bad on the way back for Miles and he and his crew noticed a lot of it had melted at this end compared to the morning.  
"Typical…" muttered Miles.  
"Well," chuckled his driver. "I suppose this means you won't be hibernating now then. It's not cold enough."  
"Hmm…" pondered Miles. "I'm not so sure. Wake me up in the spring and we'll see." he added jollily as he steamed back home.


End file.
